Perfect fusion: Art and technology

Technology has reached every space in our lives to transform and improve processes. Art has not been oblivious to this revolution and has taken advantage of it in creative processes.

Art and technology may seem like completely different disciplines; however, today they are more related than ever, especially because technological advances have become a fundamental element for the development and creation of new artistic expressions.

More and more artists use technology at different times in their creative process, whether in planning or as a model of their own expression. Virtual reality, artificial intelligence, 360 videos, open source and 3D printing are elements that help the visual artist to capture an idea or create a new proposal.

Various specialists agree that the language of creating a work of art has changed. It is now much easier to tell a story, thanks to all the digital and visual elements that technological advances provide.

For example, virtual reality allows the public to have a different exploration of a piece. You don't just watch it placed somewhere or in a museum, but through a viewer you can immerse yourself in a setting and be part of it.

Real art?
Throughout history and until recently, it was an elite that participated mainly in the development and creation of art. The rest of society simply enjoyed the masterpieces.

Now, thanks to the Internet and new manufacturing, mixing, editing, manipulation and distribution technologies, it is easier to create things and share them with the world, although this means that it is more difficult to find high-quality art. What becomes popular is not necessarily good.

According to various art critics, new technologies should lead to new forms of expression and support creative and imaginative processes.

Greater impact
Curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, co-director of the Serpentine gallery, once said that the future of art cannot be predicted: "I don't think we can predict or prescribe the future of art. It's the famous 'surprise me' of Diaghilev and Cocteau; great art always surprises us, takes us to the least expected place."

And one of the places where art has arrived is the Internet. More and more artists are using various platforms to exhibit and sell their work, some even resorting to the famous crowdfunding (collective financing) to raise money and realize their ideas.
In 2011 alone, the crowdfunding website Kickstarter raised almost 100 million dollars in pledges for more than 27 thousand art-related projects.

Artists also use social networks as a powerful tool to modify their relationship with collectors and the general public. It is easier for them to identify the type of art piece that each person needs.

Some benefits
When technology and art are combined, access to culture is facilitated, meaning that more people can learn about works, stories and artistic details from around the world.

More and more museums are putting part of their collections on different platforms so that the public can learn about them without having to travel or leave their home. In addition, contemporary artistic creation is encouraged by providing new technological tools.

Art and technology in Mexico
The Multimedia Center was the first space in the country that brought technology to different artist communities in Mexico and Latin America. This site has proposed various residency programs and exhibitions where 3D printing and artificial intelligence are essential.

The Alameda Art Laboratory is another site that also addresses artistic proposals that mix elements of art, science and technology. It was founded in Mexico City in 2000 and is directed by Tania Aedo. This space seeks to demonstrate that technology can be productive and transformative when developing a technological proposal.

In the world
On June 21, 2018, the world's first digital museum was inaugurated in Tokyo: MORI Building Digital Art Museum: TeamLab Borderless. It consists of an exhibition that displays nearly 60 works by the Japanese digital art collective TeamLab.

It took this team three years to fit out a 10,000 square meter space with 520 computers and 470 projectors, to create all the scenarios with which the public can interact.

The works come out of the rooms, forming connections and relationships with people. Visitors can even touch some pieces and even modify them using a mobile application.

Another case related to art and technology is Björk Digital – Music and Virtual Reality. It is an immersive experience with 360 content, surround sound and virtual reality made up of six digital works produced by the Icelandic singer Björk and visual artists such as Andrew Thomas Huang, Neri Oxman and James Merry.

The exhibition is a 90-minute journey through some of the main tracks from Vulnicura, one of Björk's most intimate and acclaimed albums.

The case of Google and Frida Kahlo
In 2008, this technology giant presented a perfect example of what happens when you combine art and technology. Through its platform, Google Arts & Culture, it launched a digital exhibition on Frida Kahlo.

They used digital formats such as 360-degree photos and videos. In addition, in the official presentation of the project, they used augmented reality glasses that made the experience more immersive.

The attendees felt as if they were walking in Frida's own house, in Coyoacán.

The details of each Frida Kahlo work could be replicated digitally thanks to the use of Art Camera, which allows each detail of the works to be saved in the best resolution.

The exhibition stood out because it brought together various pieces by the painter in a single digital space, which in reality are spread across various parts of the world and will hardly be able to coincide one day.

Beyond this digital exhibition, the Google Arts & Culture platform receives 50 million visitors a year. It contains pieces from more than 1,200 museums with the aim of making the world's treasures available online.

This platform has digitalized pieces from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the National Art Gallery in DC, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, among others.

At Universidad Anáhuac México we are working on our 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, where we promote a university culture of constant innovation focused on the person, with a creative, collaborative, proactive and open vision to change, which is why we share with you this type of articles that seek to tell you how to use digital technologies in a strategic, responsible and agile way.
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